New 210 tank setup questions - fans, closed loop, ???

[anjhof]

New 210 tank setup questions
I am going to be setting up a new 210 in the next few weeks and I would like to hear opinions from our expert forum.

1. I plan on putting the tank in the wall - sort of - I will be buying cabinetry for the whole wall, and the tank will be within the cabinets. I am planning on spacing the tank about 5" away from the wall and 5" away from the cabinet on the other side. My question is - where should I put my fans in the canopy? Is 5" enough space on the sides to get sufficient air pulled into the canopy? Will the narrow space cause more noise from the air being sucked in? Is there a better place to put the fans than the ends of the canopy? The back of the canopy will be open, so I could put them in the back if that would be better. Any suggestions?

2. I plan on leaving about 18" behind the tank. Currently I have a 75 gallon in the corner of the room and I cannot get behind the tank at all. I know more than 18" would be better, but that is pretty much the best I can do. Do you think that is enough space or will I hate having 18" as much as I do having no space?

3. The tank I bought is a 210 AGA - with dual overflows. I bought a dart for a closed loop, but now I have to decide if it is worth drilling the tank for the closed loop, or if I just go with returns and intakes coming over top of the tank. I would prefer to not drill the tank, but if people think I will regret this later, I would.

Any other thoughts or opinions are welcome.

 

[anjhof]

any thoughts?

 

[Wryknow]

You're going to need to have a way for the air to circulate with the rest of the house or vent outside. I'm not 100% sure that I understand your set-up, but if the tank is hemmed in by cabinetry there may be some heat and mold issues. (My 215 evaporates 2 gallons of water per day.) I don't know if 5" will be enough clearance to promote good room cirulation without some pretty well thought through ventiliation.

Can you fit into an 18" space to do anything useful? I can't personally but I'm pretty think. IMHO, it's either enough space for me to get into and do something useful or it's now. I just have enough space to work my arm behind the tank on mine (about 4") and it hasn't been a big problem so far.

I don't like the closed loop systems personally because I get nervous about all of that extra plumbing and potential for leaks. There's no reason that you need a CL system. A lot of people just don't like looking at pumps in their tank but I hardly notice them anymore myself.
You can get ample flow with in-tank pumps like Tunze streams, the Tunze wavebox, Vortech, or Seios pumps. I think that the Tunze are the only option with a contoller at this point but Seio and Ecotech are planning controller releases in the near future.

Good Luck!

 

[anjhof]

Thanks Wryknow,
I am really looking to hear all feedback. I realize I may have to make some modifications.
The plan would be to have the cabinetry go up to about 78" tall across the whole wall (20' long). I would leave a space on the opposite side of the room to walk behind the cabinets/TV/tank to be able to get behind the tank. Behind this wall is my garage, so I am thinking I may need to add a vent in the wall that leads into the garage.

Does anyone out there currently have a vent leading to their garage? If so, does it cause any problems?

As far as the space behind the tank - I forsee it being a place to keep water jugs and misc. fish gear. I also just want to be able to get to the back glass easily to clean it. I plan on having access to the sump under the tank from the front, so I don't need to have a lot of space back there to operate (at least I don't think).

 

[Wryknow]

The garage vent would probably fix your humidity issues and improve circulation. Extra space under the tank is always nice to have.